Whitesnake at The Fox Theater in Detroit, MI

Whitesnake slithered into the Motor City on their Greatest Hits Tour along with special guest, Whitford-St. Holmes.

17-June-2016: Here we go again. Fresh off last year’s Purple Tour, David Coverdale and Whitesnake slid back into Detroit on Friday, June 17 at the Fox Theater as part of their Greatest Hits Tour. As the lights dimmed, The Who’s “My Generation” primed an audience that was clearly a larger mix of generations than just 80s hair band aficionados.

Coverdale and his five-piece back-up took the stage breaking into “Bad Boys” and immediately brought everyone to their feet. Like a fine wine, Coverdale has aged gracefully, and his voice continues to impress. Recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his time with Deep Purple, Coverdale was quick to remind the audience that Cobo Hall was his first US gig back in 1973.

With the energy of frontmen half his age, Coverdale commanded the stage and worked his magic thru hits like “Slide it In” and “Love Ain’t No Stranger.” As the night progressed, he gave each of his generals, guitarists Reb Beach (Winger) and Joel Hoekstra (Night Ranger/Trans-Siberian Orchestra), keyboardist/backing vocalist Michele Luppi (Vision Divine/Secret Sphere), and bassist Michael Devin (Lynch Mob/Jason Bonham) a turn to showcase their musical talents.

Drum God Tommy Aldridge (Ozzy Osbourne) was the highlight, though, playing his signature solo pounding skin and cymbal at a furious pace. Finishing and pausing to catch his breath, he threw his sticks out into the eager crowd. But, instead of being done, Aldridge continued to pound away bare handed Congo style.

The show slowed for a dreamy, acoustic guitar filled version of “Sailing Ships” before rising back up to finish with the thundering rhythms of “Judgement Day.” “Is This Love” follows along with “Here I Go Again” before ending with an encore of “Still of the Night.”

Coverdale hinted in a recent interview that he is working on Round 3, which will be an all acoustic, intimate venue tour of the same hits. Ding Ding – bring on the next round!

Open acting and hometown hero Derek St. Holmes (Ted Nugent) with partner Brad Whitford (Aerosmith) aka Whitford/St. Holmes played mostly tunes from their recently released album, Reunion. However, they delighted the fans by throwing in some classics like “Stranglehold,” “Train Kept A Rollin’,” and “Hey Baby.” Reunited after 35 years, St. Holmes’ vocals were as strong as ever, and Whitford cracked the axe like he was still in his 20s.

SETLIST:
My Generation (The Who), Bad Boys, Slide It In, Love Ain’t No Stranger, The Deeper the Love, Fool For Your Loving, Sailing Ships, Judgement Day, Slow an’ Easy, Crying in the Rain, Is This Love, Give Me All Your Love, Here I Go Again, Still of the Night (encore)